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Title: The fears of Henry IV
WonderClub
Item Number: 9780224073004
Publication Date: January 2007
Number: 1
Product Description: The fears of Henry IV
Universal Product Code (UPC): 9780224073004
WonderClub Stock Keeping Unit (WSKU): 9780224073004
Rating: 5/5 based on 2 Reviews
Image Location: https://wonderclub.com/images/covers/30/04/9780224073004.jpg
Weight: 0.200 kg (0.44 lbs)
Width: 0.000 cm (0.00 inches)
Heigh : 0.000 cm (0.00 inches)
Depth: 0.000 cm (0.00 inches)
Date Added: August 25, 2020, Added By: Ross
Date Last Edited: August 25, 2020, Edited By: Ross
Price | Condition | Delivery | Seller | Action |
$99.99 | Digital |
| WonderClub (9297 total ratings) |
Cláudio Renato Bittencourt Ferreira
reviewed The fears of Henry IV on May 03, 2015Henry IV King of England 1399-1413
Who was he? How is he important to history? What is his lasting legacy?
Ian Mortimer, in this excellent and thoughtful historical biography on this unjustly forgotten King, traces the life story of the serious, scholarly and determined individual who proudly marched on crusade in Northern Europe, joyfully participated in numerous tournaments, suffered the paisn of unfair exile, unleashed a successful rebellion against a tyrant king (Richard II), had himself crowned as King of England by popular vote, established a new dynasty on England's throne, tenaciously fended his crown from the plots and assassinations and finally defeated his home grown enemies on the field of Shrewsbury, Wales.
Right from the beginning Mortimer asks how is it that this proud, pragmatic and ruthless king is not more well known to history and the public? How is the public's general perception of such a determined and dedicated man restricted to the fictional works of William Shakespeare? Why did Shakespeare himself fail to recognise the greatness of the King before him? Instead, giving attention to the tyrant Richard II and the Lion of Agincourt, Henry IV's own son, Henry V. Why is it that we focus on the paternal grandfather, Edward III, and the father, John of Gaunt, in an almost microscopic gaze while studying in intense interest the successes and failures of Henry IV's son, Henry V, and his grandson, Henry VI? W Why do we lavish such extremes of historical attention on this man's family but not himself?
The answer, according to Ian Mortimer, lies in the manner of how Henry IV came to throne. In purely legal terms, he usurped from the rightfully acknowledged king, Richard II. Never mind that Richard II was a spiteful, petty, suspicious and vengeful monarch with a taste for the utter destruction of those who even slightly defied his royal command. Henry IV took the throne not by right of birth, primogeniture or by the terms set down by Richard II himself, he took the crown through an odd mix of popular support and complicated genealogical wrangling. He overthrew God's anointed king and was never able to fully shake off the belief that he had sinned against the rightful order. This momentous decision , by Henry IV, had lasting repercussions on the English Royal Family and how succession was to be determined. It seems future generations were never fully comfortable with Henry IV being the man who shook throne and how it was governed to its core.
Mortimer goes into careful and minute detail about Henry's family background, who parents were, his grandparents, his brothers and sisters, his aunts and uncles, his wives and finally his children. In going into such elaborate exploration of Henry's royal background, how and by whom he was brought up by and which values were instilled into him by an early age, we receive a more rounded and nuanced picture of this conflicted king. We learn that his mother Blanche of Lancaster died when he was a year old, that his father, John of Gaunt, married two more times. Henry's stepmothers included Constanza of Castile and the famous Katherine Swynford.
He also had a large number of siblings - two full siblings from his mother, Philippa and Elizabeth, a half-sister Catalina from Constanza, another half sister Blanche from his fathers relationship with a lady-in-waiting and finally four half-siblings from Katherine Sywnford, the Beauforts. Therefore for the longest time, until his father had the Beauforts legitimatized, Henry was the sole legitimate son of his father and heir to the Duchy of Lancaster. Indeed in terms of rank and age as a king's grandson the only other royal child close to his age was Richard II, son of the Black Prince. He married twice, first to Mary de Bohun, with whom he had several children and secondly to joanna of Navarre, a childless marriage. He had four sons, Henry, Thomas, John and Humphrey and two daughters, Blanche and Phillippa with Mary. Healso had at least one affair (notably between his marriages) that resulted in his sole bastard child, Edmund Lebourde. Henry, a rarity among medieval nobleman, spears to have been completely faithful to both his wives and to have loved them dearly.
Mortimer peppers his book with key quotations from Shakespeare's Henry IV and goes into great length how the immortal bard paid a service and a disservice to the first Lancastrian king. Henry IV suffers as a kingly character in Shakespeare's plays as he is often unfavorably compared to his rather sympathetic predecessor, Richard II, and his successor the glorious Henry V. Henry IV suffers in duality from both of these kings - he was not divinely appointed by God as king instead seizing the throne from the legitimate king Richard II which makes him a usurper. Even worse his reign, often torn apart by attempted plots, assassinations and financial difficulties, pales miserably when compared to the victorious and warlike of his eldest son, Henry V. To Shakespeare, Henry's breaking of the divine order disrupted the balance of the kingdom and was only restored by the triumphant reign of his lion-like son. This perception of Henry IV as a breaker of divine action has lingered throughout the centuries and may be responsible for many people not knowing more about his life and legacy.
In Mortimer's book, Henry IV and his cousin and rival, Richard II, are compared and contrasted. They were both born around the same time, were grandsons of Famous men (Henry IV King Edward III & Henry of Grosmont) (Richard II King Edward III & Edmund Earl of Kent) had noble upbringings, were expected to succeed to great and lofty positions of power and to partake in the noble art of war once of age. Mortimer highlights the vast differences between Henry and Richard, showing them to be bitter and mistrustful rivals for power throughout their lives. Richard II, who succeeded his grandfather at ten, disliked going to war, partaking in tournaments and in leaving England. He was arrogant, vengeful, pompous, suspicious, crafty, manipulative, stubborn and easily incited to anger. He was also a man who could not be negotiated or compromised with the majority of the time. He had an incredibly and ultimately destructive opinion in his infallible authority that resulted in his unmourned downfall. Henry , on the other hand, was a serious, good-natured, intelligent, logical, proud, righteous and vigorous individual relished tournaments, jousts, pilgrimages, crusades and intellectual exercises throughout his life. He even went to Jerusalem on pilgrimage, a very noble goal in the Middle Ages. Mortimer stresses that Richard II was bitterly jealous of Henry and did all he could to alienate, dishonor, shame and finally disown his cousin. He could stand to see own cousin outshine him in nearly every avenue of royal life and it was this jealously that corroded their relationship to the point of Henry IV ordering the murder of an appointed king.
In short, this is an excellently researched, well-written and fantastic exploration into the life and legend of the forgotten king Henry IV. Mortimer has written a brilliant, insightful and erudite exploration of the life of Henry IV. He expands poignantly upon his life, his family, his personality, his relationships, his overseas adventures across Europe, his rebellion against King Richard II, his trials as king and how he coped with ruling a nation to the best of his ability. This has been expertly researched and fully footnoted with an extensive trustworthy biography of reputable primary and secondary sources. It is accurate, enjoyable, supremely engaging and bursting with thoughtful ideas and theories.
A worthy read. Highly recommended.
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